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I  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  | 


Princeton,  N.  J. 


*^ 


4;^ 


^      Bequeathed  by  the  Hon.  E.  BOUDINOT,  LL.D. 


I    '■'-"•  ^'■-'"■-      'I 

I  7,w...:    .,..  .- !|f 

<-• Iio, ,.,.-_. ..-^'     ^^    '^ 


A  SERMON 

PREACHED    BEFORE    THE  ^  ^ 

GENERAL  ASSEMBLY 

OF    THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

IN    THE 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA; 

BY    APPOINTMENT    OF    THEIR 

STANDING  COMMITTEE  OF  MISSIONS, 

MAY  19,    180^. 

Published  at  their  request. 


BY  ELIPHALET  NOTT,  D.   D. 

PRESIDENT    OF    UNION    COLLEGE    IN    THE    STATE    OF    NEW    YORK. 


PRINTED  BY  JANE  AITKEN,  NO.  62, 

NORTH  THIRD  STREET. 


1806. 


IN  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY, 

May  20th,    1806. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Standing  Committee  of 
Missions  be  directed  to  present  the  thanks  ot"  this 
Assembly  to  the  Revd.  Dr  Nott  for  his  Sermon, 
and  to  request  a  copy  thereof  for  Publication." 

A  true  Copy  of  Record, 

NATHANIEL  IRWIN,  P.  CIL  G,  A, 

BY  THE  STANDING  COMMITTEE  OF 

MISSIONS; 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Committee 
be  presented  to  the  Revd.  Dr.  Nott,  for  his 
Missionary  Sermon,  delivered  at  their  request." 

Extract  from  the  Minutes, 

J.  J.  JANEWAY,  Sec, 


1  COR.  XV.  58. 

ALWAYS  ABOUNDING  IN  THE  WORK  OF  THE  LORD, 

Son  of  man  con  these  dry  bones  lircl  Thus  spake 
God  hlmseU'  to  Ezekiel  in  a  vision :  the  circum- 
stances of  which  were  as  follow. 

The  prophet  had  been  carried  away  in  tlie 
Spirit,  and  set  down  in  a  valky  full  of  dry  bones. 
Having  passed  round  about  this  valley,  and  while 
surveying  its  silent  and  affecting  ruins,  a  voice 
^addressed  him,  Son  of  man  can  these  dry  bones 
live?  To  tfhis  interrogation  the  prophet  gives  not 
a  decisive  answer,  but  resolves  the  issue  into  the 
sovereignty  of  God:  O  Lord  God  thou  hnowcst. 

The  voice  which  before  interrogated  now 
commands,  Prophesi/  upon  these  dry  bones  and  say 
unto  them,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord.  The  pro- 
phet obeys,  and  as  he  prophesies — Lo!  the  si- 
news and  the  flesh  come  upon  them,  and  the 
skin  covers  them  above. 

Over  these  bones,  which  as  yet  had  no  breath 
in  them,  the  prophet  was  again  commardcd  to 
prophesy,  and  again  was  obedient.  Brealh  now 
came  into  them,  and  they  lived,  and  stood  upon  iliar 
feet,  an  exceeding  great  army. 


This  vision  contains,  in  emblem,  a  representa- 
tion of  the  promised  recovery  of  the  Jews  from 
tlieir  captivity  in  Babylon.  This,  however,  is  not 
all  that  it  contains.  Between  the  captive  state  of 
Judah  and  the  fallen  state  of  man  there  is  a  ma- . 
nifcst  analogy.  The  dry  bones  which  are  a 
striking  emblem  of  the  former,  are  a  no  less  strik- 
ing emblem  of  the  latter.  And  the  miracle  of 
cloathing  these  dry  bones  with  flesh,  and  inspir- 
ing them  with  life,  may  be  considered  as  the  figure 
of  another  miracle,  more  astonishing,  equally 
above  the  reach  of  man,  and  "decisively  evin- 
cive of  the  agency  of  God." — I  mean  the  mira- 
cle of  a  moral  resurrection.  Notwithstanding  the 
life  and  vigour  of  the  intellectual  powers  of  man, 
revelation  asserts,  and  experience  confirms  the  me- 
lancholy assertion,  that  with  respect  to  his  moral 
powers  he  is  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins. 

The  situation  of  the  prophet  prophesying  over 
dry  bones,  resembles  that  of  the  evangelist  call- 
ing on  the  spiritually  dead  to  hear  and  live.  And 
if  in  the  former  instance  there  was  encourage- 
ment for  the  prophet  to  prophesy,  in  the  latter, 
there  is  no  less  encouragement  for  the  evangelist 
to  preach.  Success  then  depended,  and  now  de- 
pends, not  on  the  will  of  man  but  of  God.  And 
his  arm  is  not  shortened  that  it  can  not  save,  nor  is 
his  'ear  'neary  that  it  can  not  hear. 

Behold,  christians,  the  ground  of  our  hope  for 
sinners,  and,  beholding  it,  be  stcadjast,  immoveable. 


ALWAYS  ABOUNDINGIN" THE  WORK  OFTHELORD, 

forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain 
ihe  Lord. 

By  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  may  be 
understood  an  acquiescence  in  the  divine  govern- 
ment, and  a  constant  and  cordial  co-operation 
with  the  Divine  Being,  in  accompHshing  its  objects; 
one  of  which,  and  an  illustrious  one  too,  is  the 
establishment  of  the  universal  reign  of  the 

MESSIAH   ON  THE  EARTH, 

To  induce  your  co-operation,  particularly 
with  respect  to  those  pagan  tribes  who  are  within 
the  reach  of  your  exertion,  shall  be  the  object  of 
the  present  meditation.  And,  O  may  God,  in 
whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  all  men,  give  effi- 
cacy to  the  motives  which  may  be  presented  ! 

In  entering  on  this  discourse,  I  might  sliow, 
were  it  necessary,  that  the  influence  of  Christia- 
nity, on  the  temporal  as  well  as  eternal  interests 
of  mankind,  is  more  benign  than  Paganism. — 
But  it  is  not  necessary.  You  know  by  experi- 
ence the  benignity  of  the  one,  and  were  it  possi- 
ble to  describe  but  half  the  malignity  of  the  other, 
there  is  not  a  wretch  in  Christendom,  who,  aftect- 
ed  at  the  contrast,  would  not  exclaim,  the  lines 
have  fallen  to  me  in  pleasant  places,  I  have  a  goodly 
heritage.  Waving  further  remarks  on  the  benig- 
nity of  the  Messiah's  reign  on  the  earth,  let  me 
direct  your  attention  to. 


8 


ITS  CERTAINTY. 

The  kingdoms  of  this  world  will  assuredly  be- 
come the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

Had  Ezekiel  entertained  but  a  trembling  hope, 
that  the  dry  bones  which  spread  the  valley  before 
him  might  possibly  be  reanimated,  the  force  of 
humanity  alone  would  have  impelled  him  to  pro- 
phesy over  them.  I  look  on  yonder  wilderness, 
the  abode  of  wretched  Pagans.  This  to  me  is  a 
valley  of  diy  bones.  But  I  do  not  ask,  "  can  they 
liver"  I  know  they  can.  Yes !  O  my  God,  I  know 
it  because  thou  hast  spoken  it. — Do  you  enquire 
where  God  hath  spoken  this?     Y^ou  shall  hear. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord,  The  wilderness  and  tlie  soli- 
tary pldics  shall  be  glad  for  them :  and  the  desert  shall 
rejoice  and  blossom  like  the  rose.  Princes  shall  come 
out  of  Egypt,  Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  fortJi  her 
hands  unto  God.  He  shall  judge  among  the  nations , 
and  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plough  shares,  and 
their  spears  into  pruning  hooks:  nation  shall  not  lift 
up  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war 
any  more. 

Delightful  prospect !  Then  shall  the  bow  of  war 
be  unbent,  and  the  arrow  of  death  loosed  from 
its  string.  Then  shall  the  huntsman,  attracted  by 
the  sound  of  salvation,  relinquish  the  pleasures  of 
the  chase,  and  the  hoary  warrior,  touched  by  sove- 
reign grace,  shall  lose  his  wonted  cruelty  ;  and 
turning  from  conquest  v/ith  the  benignity  of  hea- 
ven on  his  countenance,  consecrate  to  charity  the 


spoils  he  had  taken,  and,  bowing,  lay  his  tomahawk 
and  scalping-knife  as  a  trophy  at  the  foot  of  Jesus. 
For  saith  the  Lord,  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  should^ 
est  he  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  to 
restore  the  preserved  of  Israel;  I  will  also  give  thee 
for  a  light  to  the  gentiles  that  thou  mayest  be  my  saU 
vation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

I  repeat,  christians,  in  your  hearing,  these' de- 
clarations of  God,  and  by  repeating  them  I  furnish 
you  with  evidence  more  incontestable  that  the  end 
for  which  you  labour  will  not  ultimately  be  defeat- 
ed, than  I  could  furnish  to  the  husbandman,  from 
the  analogy  of  nature  and  the  experience  of  ages, 
that  the  end  for  which  he  labours  will  not. 

The  husbandman,  however  encouraged  by  the 
uncertain  prospect  of  success,  sows  his  seed  and 
waits,  in  hope,  the  reward  of  harvest.  The  reward 
for  which  he  waits  may  fail :  but  your  reward  can- 
not  There  must  be  a  harvest  of  souls — a  har- 
vest immense  and  universal.  The  veracity  of  God 
is  pledged  to  this  effect.  This  pledge  secures  un- 
alterably the  event.  The  seasons  may  be  interrupt- 
ed in  their  course,  the  figtree  may  cease  to  blos- 
som, and  the  fruit  of  the  olive  fail — the  flocks  may 
be  cut  off  from  the  fold  and  no  herd  remam  in 
the,  stall — nay  the  earth  itself  may  dissolve  and  the 
heavens,  wrapped  in  flames,  pass  away ;  but  the 
purpose  of  God  cannot  fail — his  promise  unac- 
complished cannot  pass  away.     Resting  the  cer- 


10 


tainty  of  the  Messiah's  reign  on  the  testimony  of 
God,  direct  your  attention  to, 

ITS  PERPETUITY. 

The  homage  which  Jesus  Christ  is  uhimately 
to  receive  from  all  nations,  will  not,  like  that  paid 
him  when  entering  Jerusalem,  expire  on  the  lips 
of  those  who  offer  it. 

Man,  the  being  of  a  day,  is  prone  to  consider  the 
thoughts  of  God  as  his  own  thoughts,  and  the 
ways  of  God  as  his  own  ways.  To  the  narrow 
sphere  in  which  he  moves,  and  to  the  short  dura- 
tion in  which  he  exists,  he  confines  his  attention, 
and  if  all  that  inspiration  promises  is  not  instantly 
accomplished,  he  becomes  impatient  of  delay  and 
yields  to  infidelity.  But  the  divine  plan,  whatever 
the  thoughts  of  mortals  may  be  concerning  it,  has 
dimensions,  a  length  and  breadth  which  cannot 
be  measured ;  and  to  that  eternal  being  who  form- 
ed this  plan,  however  incomprehensible  the  posi- 
tion may  be  to  mortals,  one  day  is  as  a  thousand 
years  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day, 

A  want  of  attention  to  these  truths,  a  predispo- 
sition to  reduce  the  designs  of  Providence  to  hum- 
ble human  limits,  has  been  to  the  enemies  of  re- 
velation a  pregnant  source  of  objection,  and  to  the 
friends  of  revelation  a  source  of  error  and  calamity. 

It  was  a  prevalent  opinion,  even  among  the  im- 
mediate disciples  of  Jesus,  that  the  dispensation  of 
grace  was  then  closing  and  that  the  end  of  all 
things  sublunary  was,  literally,  at  hand.     Happy 


11 


would  it  have  been  if  a  sentiment  so  derogatory 
to  the  Redeemer  of  mankind  had  expired  with 
those  who  hved  to  see  the  iirst  dawnings  only  of 
that  day  whose  brightness  has  not  even  yet  beamed 
on  the  world.  But  it  did  not  expire  with  them;  it 
was  handed  down  in  the  church,  and  ultimately 
became  so  general  that  public  concernments  were 
neglected  and  private  pursuits  suspended. 

The  practical  refutation  of  this  preposterous  doc- 
trine which  the  lapse  of  succeeding  ages  furnished, 
at  length  produced  a  change  of  sentiment.  And 
Christians  are  now,  perhaps  generally,  united  in 
the  opinion  that  the  Messiah  is  yet  to  reign  a  thoii' 
sand  years  on  the  earth. 

This  opinion  gives  a  very  different  aspect  to  the 
present  state  of  things,  and  furnishes  no  inconsider- 
able relief  to  the  dark  and  dismal  picture,  which 
this  world  would  otherwise  present.  How  differ- 
ent still  will  be  the  entire  view,  should  it  appear  in 
the  sequel,  that  the  thousand  years  of  peace,  pro- 
mised to  the  church,  are  prophetic  years,  and 
denote,  not  a  single  millenary,  but  a  vast  duration. 
Cheering  hope  !  And  may  we  safely  indulge  it? 
To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony,  ij  they  speak  not  ac- 
cording to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in 
them. 

It,  that  is  the  seed  of  the  woman,  sliall  bruise  thy 
head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  Ids  heel.  This  laconic 
declaration  contains  the  first  intimation  of  a  Redee- 
mer, and  the  terms  suggest  that  his  injury  will  be 


12 


trifling,  and  his  triumph  complete  and  glorious- 
terms  which  ill  comport  with  the  idea  that  the 
duration  of  the  reign  of  his  adversary  on  the  earth 
is  to  be  six  times  as  long  as  the  duration  of  his  own 
reign. 

In  the  oeconomy  of  redemption,  four  thousand 
years  are  spent  in  preparing  the  way  for  the  intro- 
duction of  Messiah,  the  birth  of  Christ,  Two 
thousand  more,  in  vanquishing  his  enemies,  and 
fixing  the  boundaries  of  his  empire — an  empire 
which  is  to  endure  but  a  thousand  years  !  Satan 
triumph  in  this  world  six  thousand  years,  Jesus 
Christ  one  !  Is  this  consonant  to  the  dictates  of 
reason,  or  the  analogy  of  providence  ?  Above  all, 
is  it  consonant  to  the  word  of  God  ? 

The  types  wliich  prefigure,  and  the  prophecies 
which  foretel  the  kingdom  of  righteousness,  attach 
vastness  to  the  idea  of  its  duration — a  vastness  in 
comparison  with  which  the  intervening  ages  of 
sin  and  sorrow  sink  to  nothing,  and  are  annihila- 
ted. 

All  the  ends  of  the  world  shall  remember  and  turn 
unto  the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations  shall 
worship  before  thee.  For  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's, 
and  he  is  the  Governor  among  the  nations.  For  evil 
doers  shalt  be  cut  off,  and  those  that  mait  upon  the 
Lord  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  And  when  shall 
evil  doers  be  cut  oft'?  Tlie  prophet  shall  answer 
this  question.  For  yet  a  little  while  and  the 
•wicked  shall  not  be,  yea,  thou  shall  diligently  consider 


13 


Jiis  place  and  it  shall  not  be.  But  the  meek  shall  inhc" 
rit  the  earthy  and  shall  dehght  themselves  in  the  abun- 
dance of  peace.  And  how  long  shall  the  meek 
inherit  the  earth  ?  Agahi  the  prophet  shall  an- 
swer. The  righteous  shall  inherit  the  land,  and  dwell 
therein  forever.* 

The  prevalence  of  the  wicked,  which  has  con- 
tinued from  the  time  of  the  prophet  until  the  pre^ 
sent  time,  and  which  has  still  the  appearance  of 
further  continuance,  in  his  estimation  was  a  mo- 
mentary prevalence,  a  little  while.  Whereas  the 
subsequent  prevalence  of  the  righteous  is  declared 
to  be  abiding  Jorever.  The  terms  here  made  use 
of  are  relative,  and  if  they  convey  any  idea,  it  is 
of  comparative  duration.  If  then,  in  the  language 
of  the  prophet,  a  little  wlule  denotes  several  thou- 
sands of  years,  forever  nmst  denote  a  period  vastly 
longer. 

You  will  recollect  the  memorable  vision  of 
Daniel,  in  which  an  emblematical  representation 
of  future  events  was  furnished  him-f .  Unable  to 
comprehend  the  meaning  of  the  vision,  he  asks 
and  obtains  an  explanation.  He  is  told  that  the 
four  beasts  which  came  up  out  of  the  sea,  are  four 
kingdoms.  That  the  fourth  will  be  diverse  from 
the  rest,  and  devour  the  earth.  That  out  of  this 
kingdom  ten  kings  will  arise,  and  that  another 
will  arise  after  them,  exalt  himself  against  the  most> 

*  Pfalra  xxii.    Alfo  Pfalm  xxxvii. 
f  See    Dar.  vii. 


High,  and  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  most  High, 
who  are  given  into  his  hand  :  and  how  long  are 
they  given  into  his  hand  ?  The  answer  is  subjoin- 
ed :  Until  a  tinier  and  times,  and  the  dividing  of 
time.  But  he  who  gave  the  explanation  adds.  The 
judgment  shall  sit  and  they  shall  take  away  his  domi- 
nion, and  the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  great- 
ness of  the  kingdom  under  the  xihole  heaven,  shall  be 
given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  most  High,  who 
shall  take  the  kingdom,  and  possess  the  kingdom.  And 
how  long  shall  they  possess  the  kingdom  ?  Again 
the  answer  is  subjoined.  Forever,  even  forever  and 
ever.* 

Here  also,  the  comparative  duration  of  the  tri- 
umph of  the  righteous  and  wicked  on  the  earth 
is  brought  into  view,  and  the  terms  made  use  of 
are  such  as  to  lead  to  the  same  conclusion  as  in 
the  preceding  passages.  Indeed  if  the  terms 
here  adopted  do  not  express  vast  duration,  I  know 
of  no  terms  by  which  this  could  have  been  ex- 
pressed. 

The  power  spoken  of  in  Daniel,  into  whose 
hand  the  saints  are  delivered,  is  again  spoken  of  in 
the  revelation  of  John,  and  again  their  sufferings 
under  this  power  are  described.  Here  also  these 
sufferings  are  limited  to  a  time,  and  tifnes,  and  half 
a  time,  or  as  it  is  elsewhere  expressed  to  a  thousand 
two  hundred  and  three  score  days.     Whereas   the 

*  Dan.  vii,  i8. 


15 


subsequent  triumph  of  the  righteous  is  expressly 
declared  to  continue  a  thousand  years. 

Could  we  have  any  doubt  concerning  the  com- 
parative duration  of  two  periods,  expressed  in  the 
same  book,  the  one  by  ttoelve  Imndred  and  sixty 
days,  the  other  by  a  thousand  years,  it  should 
seem  that  that  doubt  must  vanish  when  we  con- 
sider the  terms  a  little  whde  and  forever,  by  which 
these  same  periods  are  also  expressed  ;  a  little  while 
being  clearly  explanatory  of  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty  days,  and  forever  of  a  thousand  years. 

Jn  the  language  of  prophesy,  a  day  is  frequent- 
ly put  for  a  year.  Thus  we  interpret  the  time,  and 
times,  and  the  dividing  of  time,  which  occurs  in 
Daniel.  Thus  we  interpret  the  forty  and  two  months, 
which  occurs  in  revelation,  and,  not  to  mention 
other  passages,  thus  we  interpret  the  thousand  two 
hundred  and  three  score  days,  which  also  occurs  in 
revelation.  And  why  should  we  doubt  whether 
the  same  construction  is  to  be  put  on  a  thousand 
years,  used  to  denote  the  reign  of  Jesus  Christ; 
whose  reign,  if  the  same  interpretation  be  adopted, 
which  is  adopted  in  determining  the  reign  of  his 
adversary,  will  continue  three  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  years.  Such  a  kingdom  rises  as  we  con- 
template it,  into  an  importance  which  gives  mean- 
ing to  the  epidiets  which  the  inspired  writers 
apply  to  it.  Such  a  kingdom  may  well  be  said  to 
be  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  to  endure  Jortver. 
And  with  reference  to  this  kingdom,  if  such  be 


16 


its  duration,  the  triumph  of  the  wicked,  though 
continuing  for  ages,  is  jusdy  termed  short,  a  little 
while. 

Whether  a  thousand  years,  when  apphed  to  the 
reign  of  Messiah,  means  precisely  three  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  years,  or  some  vast,  though 
indefinite  period,  I  will  not  here  attempt  to  deter- 
mine. But,  however  this  phrase  is  interpreted, 
to  me  it  appears  evident,  that  the  scope  of  prophe- 
sy requires  that  it  he  so  interpreted  as  to  give  to 
his  reign  a  duration,  in  comparison  with  which, 
all  preceding  reigns  will  appear  transitory  and  un- 
important. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  constitution  of 
this  world,  and  the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed, 
were  originally  adapted  to  its  final  destination,  and 
that  instead  of  being  arrested  in  the  beginnmg  of 
its  course,  and  destroyed  in  the  midst  of  its  glory, 
it  will  be  spared  till  the  one  is  finished,  and  the 
other  departed. 

What  reason  intimates,  revelation  renders  cer- 
tain. Says  David,  Of  old  thou  hast  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  the  earthy  and  the  heavens  are  the  work  of 
thy  hands.  They  shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  endure; 
yea  all  of  them  shall  wax  old  like  a  garment,  as  a 
vest  me  shalt  thou  change  them  and  they  shall  be  chan- 
ged.^ 

Says  Isaiah,  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  heavens  and 
look  upon  the  earth  beneath,  fir  the  heavens  shall  va- 

*  See  Pfalra  cii.  Ifa.  li.  Heb.  i. 


17 


nidi  away  like  smoke,  and  the  earth  shall  wax  old  like 
a  garment. 

Says  Paul,  And  thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  hast 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and  the  heavens  are 
the  works  of  thine  hands,  they  shall  perish;  but  thou  re- 
mainest:  and  they  all  shall  wax  old  as  doth  a  gar- 
ment, and  as  a  vesture  shalt  thou  fold  them  up,  and 
they  shall  be  ciiariged. 

The  similitude  so  often  repeated  in  these  passa- 
ges is  drawn  from  a  very  familiar  object,  and,  con- 
cerning the  idea  which  the  repetition  of  it  suggests, 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  How  a  garment  waxes 
old,  is  worn  out,  and  becomes  unfit  for  use,  you  all 
know.  As  doth  a  garment,  so  God  declares  hea- 
ven and  earth  shall  wax  old.  And  till  they  have 
so  waxen  old  they  can  not  be  destroyed.  They 
must  first  be  despoiled  of  their  beauty,  marked 
with  the  lines,  and  palsied  by  the  influence  of  age. 

That  the  present  system  is  not  to  be  eternal,  phi- 
losophy as  well  as  revelation  asserts.  Deep  in  its 
nature  are  implanted  principles  of  decay,  and  the 
laws  which  s^overn  it  are  hasteninsf  on  its  end.  The 
sun  is  burning  out  its  splendours — subterranean 
fires  are  consuming  the  bowels  of  the  earth;  the 
planets  are  known,  by  an  examination  of  ancient 
eclipses,  to  be  converging ;  and  the  sage  perceives 
distinctly  in  the  movements  of  nature,  a  constant 
and  solemn  advance  towards  that  dreadful  catas- 
trophe, of  which  revelation  pre-admonishes  the 
saint. 


18 


But  though  these  concessions  are  made,  and  tho' 
it  is  also  conceded,  as  Peter  asserts,  that  great  chan- 
ges have  already  taken  place,  it  does  not  appear 
that  those  heavens  and  this  earth,  which,  after  the 
lapse  of  six  thousand  years,  still  display  so  much 
magnificence,  and  shine  in  so  much  glory,  will,  in 
little  more  than  a  thousand  years,  have  grown  old 
as  doth  a  garment,  and  become  unfit  for  use.  Till 
this,  however,  shall  be  the  case,  this  earth  will  con- 
tinue the  residence  of  the  righteous,  who,  accord- 
ing to  divine  promise,  are  to  dwell  in  it,  in  peace, 
forever — to  all  generations,  even  as  long  as  the  sun 
and  moon  enduretli. 

What  ideas  does  this  article  give  us  of  the  de- 

o 

signs  of  Deity  in  creation  and  redemption  !  How 
august  appears  the  character,  how  complete  the 
victory  of  Jesus !  Where  once  stood  his  cross  now 
stands  his  throne.  And  the  same  world  which 
once  saw  the  transitory  triumph  of  his  adversary, 
now  sees  his  own  abiding  triumph,  and  pays  to  his 
divinity  a  perpetual  homage.  This  glorious  pe- 
riod the  death  of  Christ  principally  respects.  All 
previous  conquests  are  unimportant.  Those  sub- 
dued by  his  grace  during  six  thousand  years,  will 
be  few  compared  with  the  number  who  shall 
crown  his  final  triumph.  How  great  that  number 
will  be  I  dare  not  even  conjecture.  But,  though  I 
dare  not,  I  love  to  agitate  the  question — to  recount 
the  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand — to  con- 
template, and  to  become  absorbed,  in  that  great 


19 


multitude  of  the  redeemed,  from  among  all  na- 
tions, a  multitude  which  no  man  can  number. 

True;  misery  will  continue,  and  abiding  exam- 
ples of  the  consequences  of  apostacy  will  forever 
furnish  to  the  universe  an  awful  memento.  But 
these  examples  will  be  comparatively  few,  and  this 
misery  will  be  comparatively  small;  and  infinitely 
more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  superabound- 
ing  happiness  of  myriads  of  myriads  without  num- 
ber, and  without  end,  who,  entering  on  a  blessed 
immortality,  shall  throng  the  courts,  and  fill  the 
house  of  God. 

You  see,  christians,  the  extent  and  the  perpetui- 
ty of  the  Messiah's  reign — a  reign  which  is  to  be 
introduced 

BY  HUMAN  EXERTIONS. 

As  in  the  natural,  so  in  the  moral  world,  visible 
and  intermiediate  agents  eftectuate  the  designs  of 
the  unseen  first  cause.  The  piety,  and  the  prayers 
of  Asa  produced  in  Israel  a  memorable  reforma- 
tion. Jehoshaphat,  inspired  by  the  example  of  a 
venerable  father,  extended  and  perpetuated  the 
heaven  approved  work.  And  when  under  a  suc- 
cession of  guilty  princes  Judah  became  corrupted, 
Jehoiada,  the  priest,  espousing  the  cause  of  expir- 
ing virtue,  rescued  from  perdition  that  apostate 
tribe. 

From  the  Jewish  turn  your  attention  to  the 
Christian  church,  the  era  of  whose  commencement 
was  emphatically  the  era  of  miracles.    Ere  an  age 


20 


had  elapsed,  the  reign  of  Messiah  was  extended 
from  India  to  Ethiopia,  from  Scythia  to  Britain. 
And  how  was  it  extended  ?  Apostles  were  ordain- 
ed, evangelists  commissioned,  and  sent  forth  the 
advocates  of  the  cross,  conquering,  and  to  conquer. 
The  facts  they  attested  were  believed;  the  opinions 
they  inculcated  were  adopted,  and  thousands,  in 
every  country,  and  of  every  age,  recognized  the 
promised  Messiah,  and  paid  a  willing  homage  to 
the  son  of  God. 

From  this  bright  period,  pass  on  to  that  dark 
and  dismal  epoch,  when  authority  prevailed  against 
reason,  and  superstition  triumphed  over  virtue. 
A  glorious  reformation  is  again  to  be  effected :  and 
again  illustrious  advocates  of  righteousness  are  rais- 
ed up,  by  whose  efibrts  the  kingdom  ot  error  is 
shaken,  and  by  whose  light  the  city  of  God  is 
made  glad.  In  one  word,  wherever  Christianity 
hath  been  extended— in  Europe — in  Asia — in 
Africa — it  hath  been  extended  through  the  inter- 
vention of  human  agency. 

Late  indeed,  and  with  a  feeble  sound,  has  the 
gospel  jubilee  been  published  to  the  wandering 
native,  in  these  ends  of  the  earth.  And  yet,  even 
here,  the  publication  has  not  been  vain.  From 
^mong  the  savage  tribes,  which  once  inhabited 
these  shores,  evangelists,  commissioned  by  our 
pious  fathers,  won  many  souls,  as  the  seals  of  their 
ministry,  and  the  crown  of  their  rejoicing.  These 
souls  were  the  first  fruits  of  a  more  abundant  and 


21 


glorious  harvest.  And  if  the  first  fruits  have  been 
gathered  by  the  use  of  means,  can  it  be  a  ques- 
tion how  the  residue  are  to  be  gathered? — That 
they  are  to  be  gathered,  in   some  way,  docs  not 

admit  of  a  doubt. 1  have  read  you  from  the 

records  of  eternity,  the  charter  of  the  king- 
dom of  Jesus  Christ.  A  charter  diat  covers  all 
nations,  extends  over  every  chme,  and  compre- 
hends the  islands  of  every  sea.  That  wilderness, 
inhabited  by  savages,  belongs  to  Jesus;  it  is  his 
husbandry,  and  in  spite  of  Hdl,  he  will  one  day 
gather  its  precious  fruits. 

Open  your  eyes,  christians,  for  the  fields  arc 
already  white  to  harvest.  Wherefore  double  your 
exertions,  and,  looking  up  to  God,  pray  him  to 
send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest. 

No  new  method  of  salvation  is  to  be  expect- 
ed. Converts  to  Christianity,  have  been  made  by 
the  exertions  of  the  saints,  in  time  past,  and  thus 
will  converts  be  made  in  time  to  come.  Hence, 
to  the  original  commission.  Go  ye  into  all  the  loorld^ 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  were  added 
those  memorable  words  of  Christ,  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. Be- 
hold the  presence  of  Jesus  accompanies  his  em- 
bassadors. And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  ivhosoever 
callethon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  saved.  But 
how  shall  benighted  pagans,  call  on  him,  in  whom 
they  have  not  believed  ?  And  how  shall  they  believe  in 
him,  of  whom  they  have  not  heardl  And  how  shall 


22^ 


thcT/  hear  ivithout  a  preacher}  And  how  shall  they 
preach  exxept  they  be  sent.}  And  I  may  add,  who 
shall  send  them,  if  christians  will  not?  Christi- 
ans, wlio  have  tasted  the  love  of  God,  and  felt 
the  power  of  the  world  to  come. 

IN    SUCH    AN    UNDERTAKING,    TO    SUCCEED 
WILL  BE  GLORIOUS. 

On  this  article,  no  one,  who  either  knows, 
tlie  blessings  of  Christianity,  or  appreciates  the 
worth  of  souls,  can  entertain  a  doubt.  Every 
enterprise  tending  to  meliorate  the  condition  of 
man,  reflects  glory  on  its  author.  How  many 
individuals  have  rendered  themselves  illustrious, 
and  immortal,  by  deeds  of  charity.  But  if  be- 
nevolence appears  divine,  wlicn  visiting  the  pri- 
soner's dungeon,  and  ministering  around  the  sick 
man's  couch,  how  must  she  appear,  when  enter- 
ing, unsolicited,  an  inhospitable  wilderness,  en- 
quiring for  the  habitations  of  the  wretched,  and 
bearing  to  the  unknown  sufterers  the  cup  of  hea- 
venly consolation? 

If  to  shed  on  the  ignorant  the  light  of  sci- 
ence, and  restore  to  the  oppressed  the  joys  of 
liberty,  be  magnanimous,  by  what  words  shall 
we  express  their  magnanimity,  whose  zeal  pours 
on  the  valley  of  death  the  light  of  salvation, 
and  restores  to  the  souls  whom  satan  has  enslaved, 
the  privileges  of  the  sons  of  God  ? 

Christians,  can  you  conceive  of  any  thing 
more   glorious,   than   extending  the   blessings  of 


23 


Christianity    to   those   tribes  of   wretched  pagans 
who  dwell  upon  your  borders  ? 

You  admit  the  object  glorious:  but  the  diffi- 
culties of  attaining  it  discourage  you. — What 
difficulties?  Can  the  ingenuity  of  statesmen,  or 
the  infidelity  of  christians,  suggest  difficulties  in- 
superable to  GOD?  Are  there  any  intricacies  in 
the  way  which  omniscience  can  not  trace?  Or 
mountains  which  omnipotence  can  not  sink? 

You  say  the  natives  are  indolent,  vicious,  a- 
bandoned  to  drunkenness,  passionately  fond  of 
the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  impatient  of  restraint, 
and  utterly  averse,  not  to  the  purity  of  the  gospel 
only,  but  also  to  the  restraints  of  civilized  life. — 
We  admit  this  statement.  They  are  indeed  sub- 
jects every  way  unpromising.  But  let  it  be  remem- 
bered, that  the  dry  bones,  over  which  Ezekiel 
prophesied,  were  no  less  so.  And  yet  these  heard 
and  lived.  And  who  knows,  but  those  also  may 
hear  and  live  ? 

There  are  always  difficulties  to  be  encountered 
when  reformation  is  the  object.  And  there  al- 
ways must  be,  while  human  nature  remains  per- 
verse. Do  you  imagine,  however,  that  these 
difficulties  excuse  you  from  exertions? — Had  Asa 
reasoned  thus,  Israel  had  not  been  reclaimed.  Had 
the  Aposdes  reasoned  thus,  Holland,  Germany, 
and  Britain,  countries  which  gave  birth  to  our 
pious  ancestry,  had  remained,  to  this  day,  ignorant 
of  the  gospel  and  its  benefits.     Had  the  Apostles 


24 


reasoned  tliiis,  you,  whom  I  address  as  children 
of  the  light,  and  partakers  of  the  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God,  would  now  have  been  enveloped  in 
impenetrable  darkness,  and  bound  in  accursed 
chains. — And  in  place  of  thee,  venerable  House  of 
God;  of  you,  holy  Altars, — Ministers  of  grace 
and  witnesses  of  Jesus,  with  which  I  am  sur- 
rounded, mine  eyes  had  beheld  a  pagan  temple, 
cruel  altars,  priests  stained  with  blood,  and  worship- 
ers paying  homage  unto  idols. But  they  did 

not  reason  thus.  No;  blessed  be  God!  they  did 
not.  And  yet  their  difficulties,  in  diffusing  the 
knowleds^e  of  the  Saviour,  far  exceeded  ours. 

In  proof  of  this  assertion  shall  I  call  back  the 
scenes  of  apostolic  sufterings  ?  Shall  I  retrace  those 
paths  covered  with  the  bodies,  and  stained  with 
the  blood,  of  the  witnesses  of  Jesus  ?  Shall  I  lead 
you  to  the  confessor's  dungeon,  to  the  martyr's 
stake,  and  point  to  fires,  and  racks,  and  gibbets, 
means  of  cruelty  and  instruments  of  torture  till 

now  unknown? In  addition  to  the  obstinacy 

of  those  whom  they  sought  to  christianize,  such 
were  the  difficulties  with  which  the  early  friends 
of  the  Redeemer  struggled. 

Both  Jews  and  Gentiles  obstructed  their 
course,  and  counteracted  their  influence.  Empe- 
rors persecuted,  and  princes  combined  to  crush 
them.  But  they  combined  in  vain.  Their  love 
for  Christ  was  stronger  than  death,  and  floods 
of  ungodliness  could   not  quench  it.     In  prison 


2U 


and  in  exUe ;  on  the  scaffold,  and  from  the  cross, 
salvation  was  published,  and  multitudes  were 
converted. 

Such  were  the  exertions,  and  such  the  success 
of  the  primitive  saints.  And  if  our  motives  were 
as  pure,  and  our  exertions  as  vigorous,  who 
knows  but  our  success  would  be  as  great? 

This,  however,  is  not  the  ground  on  which  I 
rest  the  argument.  I  dare  not  promise  you  im-=- 
mediate  success.  I  know  that  the  reign  of  Mes- 
siah will  come,  because  God  hath  said  it.  But 
whether  it  will  come  in  your  day,  and  be  intro- 
duced by  yoilr  exertions,  I  know  not. 

Instead,  therefore,  of  encouraging  you  by  such 
assurances,  I  propose  a  considei^ation  of  a  different 
kind — a  consideration,  which  must  subvert  every 
objection  which  avarice  or  iniidelity  can  suggest ; 
it  is  this : 

That  to  fail  after  having  made  sincere  endea* 
vours  in  so  good  a  cause,  will  be  glorious. 

Zechariah  did  not  succeed  in  reforming  Israel, 
but  fell  between  the  porch  and  the  altar.  He  fell, 
however,  covered  with  glory,  and  his  name  stands 
conspicuous  on  the  list  of  martyrs.  Wickliff  did 
not  succeed  in  rending  the  veil  of  Papal  supersti- 
tion, and  yet  the  attempt  added  celebrity  to  his 
life,  and  in  the  bosom  of  the  church  embalmed 
his  memory.  But  why  do  I  mention  these  in- 
stances !  Jesus  Christ  himself  did  not  succeed  in 
o 


'26 


his  mission  to  the  Jews.  But  though  Israel  were 
?iot  gathered,  yet  was  he  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord,  and  in  the  eyes  of  all  his  people. 

There  are  those  who  exclaim,  whenever  the  sal- 
vation of  the  heathen  is  proposed.  There  is  a  Lion 
in  the  way.  And  were  it  so,  this  would  not  dimi- 
nish the  propriety,  nor  would  even  failure  mar  the 
glory,  of  the  attempt. 

The  interposition  of  the  Son  of  God  in  behalf 
of  sinners,  is  the  highest  act  of  benevolence  that 
the  universe  ever  saw.  Redemption  by  the  cross 
— how  admirable,  how  passing  admiration.  Crea- 
tion assumes  fresh  loveliness,  and  the  Creator 
shines  in  brighter  glories  wherever  it  is  published. 
What  then  must  be  the  glory  of  its  publishers  ? 
What  their  glory  who  contribute  to  its  publica- 
tion. 

God,  from  his  throne,  beholds  not  a  nobler 
character  on  his  footstool,  than  the  fervent  mission- 
ary, the  man,  who  inspired  with  zeal,  and  burning 
with  love,  bids  adieu  to  his  friends,  abandons  his 
comfort,  and  his  home,  braves  the  perils  of  the 
deep,  encounters  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  naked- 
ness, and  persevering  through  dangers  and  deaths 
proclaims  the  Saviour  to  those  who  know  him 
not. 

Yes !  venerable  messengers  of  salvation,  who 
preach  Christ  in  deserts,  and  publish  glad  tidings  on 
the  Islands  of  distant  seas,  we  admire  your  zeal; 
we  emulate  your  virtue,   and  by  contributing  to 


S7 


the  object  in  which  you  are  engaged,  would  be- 
come partakers  in  your  glory  ;  and  partakers  we 
shall  be  if  we  truly  aspire  to  it. In  the  estima- 
tion of  heaven  our  services  are  appreciated,  not  by 
the  good  we  accomplish,  but  the  sincerity,  the 
strength,  and  constancy  of  our  exertions. 

Cease  then  christians  to  object ;  act  worthy  of 
yourselves,  and  remember,  that  they  that  be  wise 
shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament y  and 
they  that  turn  many  unto  rigiUeousness,  as  the  stars, 
for  ever  and  ever. 

Convinced  of  your  duty,  do  you  ask  how,  situat- 
ed at  a  distance,  as  you  are,  you  can  contribute 
to  the  alleviation  of  pagan  misery  ?  How  ? 

By  your  prayers.  God  hath  promised  that  the 
gentiles  shall  be  gathered  in.  He  is  hastening  to 
accomplish  what  he  hath  promised,  and  yet  for 
this  will  he  be  enquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel. 
Wherefore,  ye  that  make  mention  of  the  Lord,  keep 
not  silence,  and  give  Imn  no  rest,  till  he  establish,  and 
till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth. 

By  your  property.  To  christianize  the  heathen, 
as  well  as  to  succour  your  destitute  brethren  on  the 
frontiers,  missionaries  must  be  sent  to  them  ;  these 
missionaries  will  be  the  channels  of  your  kind- 
ness. But  missionaries  cannot  be  maintained  by 
prayers ;  you  must  give  of  your  property  :  with- 
out this,  your  prayers  will  be  unavailing  Curst 
be  that  charity  which  says  to  the  liungry,  be  ye 


28 


fed  ;  to  the  naked,  be  ye  cloathed,  and  to  pagans, 
be  ye  saved,  and  relieves  them  not. 

Here  then  1  come  to  the  conclusion  of  this 
discourse.  Your  love  for  Jesus,  your  concern  for 
souls,  is  now  to  be  tested  by  your  contributions 
for  their  relief. 

The  Saviour  could  easily  furnish  means  for 
this,  from  his  own  resources. — He  could  com- 
mand the  heavens  to  supply  the  embassadors  of 
his  grace  with  bread,  and  the  flinty  rock  to  fur- 
nish them  with  water.  But,  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive.  This  the  Saviour  knows,  and  ha- 
ving, in  the  profusion  of  his  goodness,  loaded  you 
with  treasure,  he  condescends  to  ask,  and  to  receive 
from  you,  a  part  of  that  treasure :  and  this  he 
does,  not  that  He  needs  it,  but  that  you  may  have 
an  opportunity  of  likening  yourselves  to  God  by 
the  imitation  of  his  sublime  munificence,  who  de- 
lights in  doing  good,  and  whose  tender  mercies 
are  over  all  his  works. 

In  this  light  I  place  the  subject.  And  now 
O  my  God,  what  more  shall  I  say?  Can  the  un- 
feeling heart  of  man  contemplate  miseries  the 
most  extreme,  and  not  be  moved? — From  the  hill 
of  Zion,  beaming  with  light,  and  smiling  with 
life,  let  me  direct  your  view  to  the  vale  of  dark- 
ness, and  the  shadow  of  death. 

Yonder  are  the  pagans.  Friends  of  humani- 
ty, O  that  I  could  describe  to  you ! — cold,  naked, 
famished,  friendless;   roaming  the  desert,  burning 


Q9 


Yonder  are  the  pagans.  Friends  of  Immanuel,  O 
that  I  could  describe  them  to  you,  assembled  on 
the  ground  of  enchantment,  practising  the  delu- 
sions of  witchcraft,  insulting  the  heavens  by  the 
sacrifice  of  dogs,  and  paying  their  impious  adora- 
tions at  the  shrines  of  devils ! 

From  these  profane  devotions,  the  hoary  war- 
rior retires.  His  steps  totter  with  age,  he  reaches 
the  threshold  of  his  hut,  and  sinks  beneath  inlir- 
mities,  on  the  cold  earth,  his  bed  of  death.  No 
sympathizing  friend  partakes  in  his  misery,  no  fi- 
lial hand  is  stretched  out  for  his  relief.  The  wife 
of  his  youth  has  forsaken  him, — his  daughters  are 
carried  captive, — his  sons  have  been  slain  in  battle. 
Exhausted  with  sufferings,  and  weary  of  life,  he 
turns  his  eye  upon  the  grave.  But  the  grave  to 
him  is  dark  and  silent.  Not  a  whisper  of  com- 
fort is  heard  from  its  caverns,  or  a  beam  of  light 

glitters  on  its  gloom. -Here  the  curtain  drops, 

time  ceases,  eternity  begins:  Mighty  God,  how 
awful  is  the  scene  which  follows!  But  I  dare  not 
attempt  to  lift  the  vail  that  covers  it.  A  moment 
since,  and  this  immortal  soul  was  within  the  reax^h 
of  prayer:  now  its  destiny  is  fixed,  and  just,  eter- 
nal Sovereign  !  are  thy  decisions.  From  that  bourn 
beyond  which  submission  is  our  only  duty,  turn 
again  to  the  living  world,  where  your  prayers 
and  exertions  may  be  availing. 

Is  there  a  father  in  this  assembly,  who,  high 
in  the  hopes  of  heaven,  brings  his  infant  ofispnng 


30 


to  these  altars,  and  places  them  by  faith  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus?  I  plead  in  behalf  of  fathers  who 
have  never  heard  of  heaven,  and  whose  offspring 
have  no  Saviour. 

Is  there  a  mother  in  this  assembly,  blessed  by 
the  affection  of  her  husband,  and  solaced  by  the 
smiles  of  her  daughters  ?  I  plead  in  behalf  of  mo- 
thers, whose  husbands  are  tyrants,  and  whose 
daughters  are  slaves. 

Could  I  believe,  that  dead  to  the  stranger's 
sufferings,  you  needed  kindred  objects  to  awaken 
your  sympathy,  and  open  your  hearts  to  charity, 
I  would  here  direct  your  attention  to  the  frontier 
settlements,  and  beseech  you  by  the  strength  of 
parental  afi^ection,  by  the  tenderness  of  fraternal 
love,  though  deaf  to  our  intreaties  for  the  pa- 
gans, at  least  to  hear  us  in  behalf  of  christians, 
of  your  children,  your  brethren,  your  kindred 
with  whom  you  once  took  sweet  counsel,  and 
walked  to  the  house  of  God  in  company:  but 
who,  now  removed  far  from  the  pleasant  habitati- 
ons of  Zion,  without  a  temple  and  without  an  al- 
tar, wander  in  the  deserts  of  Ilermon,  and  pour 
out  their  complaints  on  the  hill  of  Mizar,  How 
amiable  are  iliij  tabernacles  O  Lord  of  hosts.  My 
soul  bngeihy  yea  even  faintelh,  for  tlie  courts  of  the 
Lord;  my  heart  and  my  flesh  ciieth  out  for  the  li- 
ving God. 

But  I  will  not  believe  that  you  are  dead  to  the 
strangers  sufferings,     I  blend  therefore  the  inter- 


51 


ests  of  pagans  with  the  interests  of  your  kindred. 
I  add  together  their  miseries,  and  by  the  vastness 
of  the  amount  implore  your  assistance. 

In  advocating  such  a  cause,  the  cause  of  hu- 
manity, the  cause  of  Immanuel,  you  will  pardon 
my  importunity.  What  am  I  saying  ?  Would  to 
God  I  were  capable  of  being  as  importunate  as 
the  cause  I  advocate  demands.  O  that  I  could 
infuse  into  my  words,  the  ardour  which  I  feel. 
But  I  can  not.  Ah  ye  wretched  aliens  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel;  ye  strangers  from  the 
covenants  of  promise,  who  have  no  hope  and  are 
without  God  in  the  world,  my  heart  melts  within 
me  at  the  recollection  of  your  danger,  and  my 
mind  fills  with  motives  to  charity  too  big  for  utter- 
ance. 

Brethren,  have  you  sufficiently  considered  the 
duration  of  eternity?   have  you   duly  appreciated 

the   value  of  the  soul?  if  not,  pause, In  die 

name  of  God,  I  adjure  you,  pause,  and  reflect  on 
both,  before  you  bring  your  offerings  to  the  altar. 
The  narrow  isthmus  which  intervenes  between 
you  and  the  world  of  spirits,  is  already  sinking : 
presently  death  will  have  swallowed  it  up  forever ! 
Let  your  thoughts  carry  you  beyond  it;  lose 
yourselves  in  the  immensity  of  those  ages  which 
have  no  end. — Ages  which  the  soul  inherits,  and 
during  which  its  powers  encrease,  its  capacity  of 
happiness  and  misery  expands,  and  expands,  and 
expands,  till,  (overwhelming  thought,)  it  is  capable 


32 


of  enjoying  the  joys,  or  of  suffering  the  miseries 
of  a  world. 

Such  souls  those  probationers  possess,  in  whose 
behalf  I  now  address  you.  To  that  eternity,  with 
which  your  minds  are  filled,  they  are  hastening. 
Befoi^e  they  launch  into  it,  look  up  to  heaven,  and 
see  the  preparations  grace  is  making,  and  the  glory 
to  which  grace  is  waiting  to  receive  them ;  the 
crown  of  life — the  presence  of  God  in  which  there 
is  fullness  of  joy,  and  at  whose  right  hand  are 
pleasures  forever  more. 

Before  they  launch  into  it,  look  down  to  hell,  and 
see  the  punishment  with  which  justice  threatens 
them ;  take  one  deep  and  solemn  view  of  that  fire, 
which  is  never  quenched,  and  of  that  worm,  in  the 
midst  of  it,  which  never  dies  !  Ah  me,  what  a  spec- 
tacle of  woe  !  venting  unavailing  cries  to  a  devour- 
ing flame,  and  pouring  out  vain  complaints  to  an 
unpitying  dungeon ;  which,  when  the  sufferer 
asks.  How  long  ?  echoes  back,  eternity.  Ages 
heaped  on  ages  intervene ;  again  the  sufferer  asks. 
How  long  ?  and  again  is  echoed  back.  Eternity  ! 

Before  they  launch  into  it,  go  to  Calvary,  approach 
the  cross,  listen  to  the  groans,  and  fill  your  minds 
with  the  idea  of  the  great  Immanuel  agonizing  on  it. 
Then  estimate  the  value  of  those  souls  by  the  gran- 
deur of  the  victim  slain  for  their  redemption,  and 
having  made  the  estimation,  and  before  you  leave 
the  cross,  say,  will  you  sufier  them  to  perish 
through  neglect. 


33 


Perhaps,  by  our  charities  this  evening,  we  shall 
reclaim  some  profligate — perhaps  we  may  convert 
one  pagan,  and  should  we  owe,  (my  heart  burns 
within  me  while  I  make  the  supposition,)  who 
among  us  will  begrudge  the  pittance  he  has  given  ? 
Let  me  indulge  the  thought — a  convert  made  by 
the  charities  of  this  evening — no  matter  whether 
an  Albion,  an  Ethiopian,  or  an  Indian — no  matter 
from  what  ancestry  descended,  in  what  rites  in- 
structed, or  by  what  principles  of  vice  corrupted; 
and  tell  me,  O  believer,  what  will  your  emotions 
be,  when  entering  the  world  of  spirits,  and  open- 
ing your  eyes  on  the  redeemed  of  all  nations,  you 
shall  see  among  them,  one  soul  whom  your  charity 
hath  saved  ?  What  will  your  emotions  be,  when 
that  soul,  first  of  all,  shall  fly  to  your  embrace,  and 
welcome  your  arrival  ?  What,  when  conducting 
you  to  the  throne  of  eternal  majesty y  and  in  the 
presence  of  that  Divinity,  which  sits  upon  it,  he 
shall  say,  "To  this  man,  under  thee  great  Eman- 
uel, am  I  indebted  for  this  crown  of  life,  which 
glitters  on  my  head,  and  this  palm  of  victory,  which 
blossoms  in  my  hand."  Moment  of  unutterable 
extacy  !  Angels,  could  Angels  covet,  might  emu- 
late your  bliss,  and  sigh  to  become  partakers  in  it. 

But  great  as  the  joy  of  this  moment  is,  it  is  not 
greater  than  will  be  the  glory  which  follows  it. 
To  the  man  who  had  saved  the  life  of  a  Roman 
citizen,  was  presented  the  civic  croimi,  the  highest  of 
earthly  honours :  but  of  what  insignia  shall  lie  be 


34 


accounted  worthy,  who  has  saved  a  soul  from 
death,  and  restored  a  citizen  to  heaven  ?  I  cannot 
answer  this  interrogation  ?  and  I  exult  at  the  idea 
that  I  cannot ;  because  my  inability  to  give  an  an- 
swer, results  from  the  sublimity  of  those  symbols 
in  which  tlie  answer  is  contained. 

But  1  will  not  confine  my  hopes  to  a  single  in- 
dividual.      Our   charity   may  do  more,   it   may 
rechiim  many  profligates ;    it  may  convert  many 
pagans;    these  may   reclaim  and   convert  others, 
and  these  again,   in  their  turn,    may  continue  to 
reclaim  and  to  convert :  and  thus  the  benevolence 
of  a  single  christian  Assembly,  collected  from  dif- 
ferent denominations,  but  actuated  by  the  spirit  of 
their  common  Master,  may  be  extended  to  distant 
countries,   and   operate   benignly   on  succeeding 
generations,  till  the  kingdom  of  Christ  shall  come. 
This  kingdom,  christians,  is  at  hand,  let  us  an- 
ticipate its  glory ;    let  us  fill  our  minds  with  ideas 
of  Its  duration  and  extent;  let  us  endeavour  to  has- 
ten its  approach  ;  let  us  invite  by  our  charities  and 
our  prayers,   the  Saviour  from  the   skies ;   let  us 
show  that  we  are  willing  to  receive  him  on  the 
earth,  and,  placing  on  his  altar  the  humble  means 
which  we  are  able  to  furnish,   for  advancing  his 
interest,    with  one  general  burst  of  passion,    that 
shall  fill  the  heavens,  and  reach  the  place  where 
His  Glory  dwelleth,  let  us  say,  "Come  Lord  Jesus, 

come  quickly." 1  pause,  not  because  the 

subject  is  exhausted,  for  it  expands,  and  expands. 


3B 


as  I  contemplate  it — not  because  I  fear  that  an 
auditory  of  christians  can  already  be  weary  of 
such  a  contemplation  ;  but  the  delightful  duty  of 
charity  remains  to  be  performed,  and  I  pause  that 
I  may  give  place  to  the  performance  of  it. 

Brethren,  the  vast  objects  which  the  plan  of  re- 
deeming love  contemplates,  are  now  before  you, 
and  you  are  about  to  contribute  to  carry  that  plan 
into  further  execution.  Before  you  cast  your 
gifts  into  the  Treasury,  permit  me  to  propose  a 
single  interrogatory  :  It  is  not  whether  the  objects 
be  important  ?  your  hearts  testify  that  they  are  so. 
Neither  is  it,  how  much  you  now  feel  as  if  you 
could  afford  to  give  ?  but  how  much,  at  the  day  of 
judgment,  standing  at  the  bar  of  Jesus,  eternity 
spread  out  before  you,  the  grandeur  of  the  world 
perished,  and  not  a  vestige  of  all  that  you  once 
possessed,  except  the  charities  you  may  have  laid 
up  in  heaven,  remaining — then  when  the  loans 
made  unto  the  poor,  for  which  God  became  re- 
sponsible, are  repaying — when  the  poor  widow, 
approaching,  receives  for  her  two  mitcs,  infinite 
remuneration,  and  to  the  disciple,  who  gave  but  a 
cup  of  water,  because  he  had  no  more  to  give,  is 
awarded  an  inheritance  among  the  saints — then, 
when  looking  back  in  thought  on  this  evening, 
which  furnished  such  a  glorious  opportunity  for 
evincing  your  love  to  Jesus,  and  signalizing  yjour- 
selves  by  deeds  ol'  cliarity  ;  How  miuli  wilt  you 
uisk  that  you  had  given  I  To  conscience  1  appeal — 


36 


to  the  day  of  judgment  I  refer  you.  Exhibit  now 
the  liberality  you  will  then  approve,  and  reprobate 
now  the  parsimony  you  will  then  condemn. 

Yes,  in  the  light  of  that  day,  as  if  earth  were  al- 
ready dissolved,  the  heavens  departed,  and  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ  erected,  let  each  according 
to  his  ability,  and  with  reference  to  the  whole 
amount,  so  desirable  to  raise,  make  an  apportion- 
ment. 

Let  the  mechanic  say  how  much  of  the  scanty 
fruits  of  his  labour,  he  will  consecrate  to  succour 
destitute  settlements — how  much  to  send  mission- 
aries to  the  pagans.  Let  the  merchant,  whose 
w.  alth  tlows  from  a  thousand  sources,  and  \^hse 
property  floats  on  distant  seas,  say  how  much  of 
the  proiits  of  his  trade.  Let  the  advocate  at  the 
bar,  say  how  much  of  his  fees.  Let  the  minister 
of  the  altar  say  how  much  of  his  salary.  Let  the 
magistrate  say  how  much  of  the  income  of  his 
ofiice.  Let  the  man,  whose  dwelling  has  just 
been  consumed,  say  how  much  of  the  remnant 
of  his  property,  which  was  raked  from  the 
ashes.*— r-And  the  man,  whose  dwelling  has 
been  preserved,  when  Hames  encircled  and  cinders 
covered  it — the  man,  who  hath  passed,  literally, 
with  his  tamily  and  fortune  through  the  fire,  and 
it  hi^th   not  kindled  on    him,   let   him  say   how 

*  A  fev>'  (lays  before  the  iermon  was  delivered,  about  thirty  build- 
ings were  conluined  by  fire,  in  Piiiiadelphia,  and  liberal  contrU 
butions  has  juit  been  made  for  the  relief  of  the  fufferers, 


37 

much  of  that  fortune  he  will  consecrate  as  a  testi- 
mony of  his  charity,  and  an  expression  of  his  faith 
in  God. 

Were  I  addressing  an  auditory  unaccustomed 
to  feel  for  human  misery,  whose  stinted  pity  was 
cruel,  and  the  stream  of  whose  charity  congeal- 
ed as  it  flowed,  after  the  repeated  calls  upon  your 
bounty,  which  have  been  made  the  last  week,  I 
should  despair  of  success,  but  I  am  not  address- 
ing such  an  auditory  ;  though  a  stranger,  I  am  not 
ignorant  that  Philadelphia,  like  that  primitive  city 
whose  name  it  bears,  is  famed  for  deeds  of  mercy. 
With  unutterable  emotions,  1  have  visited  yonder 
consecrated  grounds,  on  which  stands  assylums  for 
the  poor,  and  the  wretched — illustrious  mo- 
numents, which  your  charity  has  erected — mo- 
numents, not  like  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  which 
cherished  a  vain,  self-glory  ;  not  like  the  temples 
of  Greece,  which  fostered  a  cruel  superstition, 
but  left  at  their  threshold,  the  unpitied  suflerer  to 
converse  with  sighs,  and  tears,  and  wretchedness, 
and  death. 

And  can  it  be  that  the  tender  mercies  of  such 
an  auditory  are  exhausted  ?  Have  you,  then  no- 
thing more  to  lend  to  Jesus  Christ :  have  you  no  lon- 
ger any  ahns  to  bestow  on  your  suffering  brethren, 
and  shall  I  tell  them  you  have  not ;  shall  I  recall 
the  missionaries  you  have  sent  them,  and  extin- 
guish the  hopes  with  which  your  former  charities 
have  inspired  them  ?  Shall  1  pronounce  on  the  sa- 


38 

vages  their  doom,  shall  I  say  to  the  pagan,  just 
emerging  from  the  gloom  of  nature,  and  directing 
his  steps  toward  the  hill  of  life,   go  back  into 

YOUR  FOREST,  COVER  AGAIN  YOUR  ALTAR  WITH 
VICTIMS,  MUTTER  YOUR  NIGHTLY  ORISONS  TO 
THE  STARS,  AND  BE  SATISFIED  WITH  THE  VAIN 
HOPE    OF    THE    COUNTRY    BEYOND    THE     HILLS  ? 

Are  these  the  sentiments  of  christians — christians, 
whose  hearts  have  been  softened  by  redeeming 
love,  whose  immortal  hopjs  rest  on  sovereign 
mercy,  and  whose  unceasing  song,  through  eter- 
nal ages  will  be,  grace,  rich  grace.  I  was  going 
to  add,  but  the  presence  of  that  august  personage, 
whose  glory  fills  the  place  of  our  devotions,  awes 
me.  Open  your  eyes  christians,  and  behold  God- 
Emanuel  in  this  Assembly.  Redeemer  of  our 
souls,  who  inhabitest  eternity,  and  dwellest  in  the 
high  and  holy  place,  wherefore  art  thou  present 
in  this  temple,  made  with  hands  ?  "  I  am  present 
that  I  may  witness  the  strength  of  the  affection 
which  mv  redeemed  bear  me — that  I  may  in  per- 
son record  their  charities,  in  that  book  of  life, 
where  their  names  already  are  recorded — charac- 
ters, which  I  will  publish  to  the  universe  at  judg- 
ment, and  reward,  through  eternity,  in  heaven." 

Motives  are  now  unnecessary — a  sense  of  that 
divinity  which  overshadows  us,  melts  every  heart 
to  love   and  swells  every  breast  with  mercy. 

Go  then,  ye  collectors   for  the  wretched,  receive 


39 


the   alms  of  a  people,  already  moved    with  pity, 
and  emulous  to  excel  in  deeds  of  charity. 

Almighty  God,  help  us  so  to  act  on  this  occa- 
sion as  shall  meet  thine  approbation,  and  to  thy 
name  shall  be  the  glory  in  Christ. — Amen. 


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